Found across much of Eurasia, including South and Southeast Asia and central Africa, these small plovers also show up in the Aleutian Islands in the spring. They eat insects, such as beetles, flies, ants, and crickets, and other invertebrates, such as spiders and shrimp. Females lay their well-camouflaged eggs in exposed scrapes in gravelly areas, where pairs are sometimes assisted by a third adult. Not found in the UK before the late 1930s, they have colonized much of England and Wales, drawn to gravel pits and other man-made habitats.